Guest guest Posted March 24, 2005 Report Share Posted March 24, 2005 SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha // SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha // SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/ SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya// KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: / SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm// ====================================================== SRI RANGA SRI VOL.06 / ISSUE # 14 dated 03/024/05 ====================================================== EDITORIAL: Dear Bhagavatas: “Athimaanusha Sthavam”- Part 2 We continue to cover “Athimaanusha Sthavam” of Koorathaazhwaan As already acknowledged in the Introduction to this series, the writes up on the Pancha Sthavams (including Athi Maanusha Sthavam) are based on the scholarly exposition in Tamil by Sri U.Ve. Vidwaan S. PaiyambaaDi Setlur V. Srivatsaanka charyar Swami in his monumental work “Pancha Sthavam” published by Sri VisishTaadvaita PrachaariNi Sabha, Mylapore, Chennai during its Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1986. Most of you will remember my talk on “Athi Maanusha Sthavam” (based on this work) during the Second Worldwide SrivaishNava Conference organized by Swami Desika Darsana Satsangam (SDDS) at Pomona 0n 30th August 1997. The present series is a reiteration of that talk. Though started earlier, the series could not be continued due to various reasons,. Thanks to the reminders and encouragement of Bhagavatas, we have resumed the series and this is the second posting on the Sthavam. Part 1 covering Slokams 1 to 5 appeared in SRS Vol.6.13dated 03/12/05 Part 2 appearing in this issue covers Slokams 6 to 10 “VilakshaNa mOkshaadhikaari NirNayam” - part 5 The other series, namely, “VilakshaNa mOkshaadhikaari NirNayam” of Sri Erumbiappa, one of the AshTadig GajangaL of Sri MaNavaaLa Maa MunigaL is based on the book “VaikunTam pugum MaNNavar yaar?” by Dr. R. Rangarajan M.A PhD. Madurai, published by AzhwaargaL Amuda Nilayam, Komaleeswaranpet, Chennai in 1994. This has also been duly acknowledged in the Introduction for this series. This series is also in reiteration of my talk (based on this work) at Livermore temple, San Jose, California during the ManavaaLa Maa munigaLTirunakshatram conference on 13th and 14th November 1999 organized by Sri Mani Varadarajan Swami of the famous Bhakti list, the pioneer in the world of Internet journalism. The credits for anything correctly stated go to these illustrious authors and any deficiencies are due to my own lack of understanding and lack of expression and I crave your indulgence for the same. Hope you will enjoy reading these series and please favor me with your feedback. Moderator ====================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 2 (Slokas 6 to 10) (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) 2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM Part 5 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) 3. “TRIMURTI” - IN NAMMAZHWAR’S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 10 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) ====================================================== 160 Regular issues have been released, so far besides several Special Issues) – - 27 Issues of Vol. 1 - 15 Issues of Vol. 2 - 42 Issues of Vol. 3 - 35 Issues of Vol. 4 - 28 Issues of Vol. 5 & - 13 Issues of Vol. 6 These issues have been archived for public view at - by Sri Diwakar Kannan (diwakark) You may also view the archives at http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia maintained by Sri Srinivasan Sriram (ajiva_rts) We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the “Files” Section and view the Contents at “srsindex.html” (Not the individual postings allowed for encouraging "Reader participation"). We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the contents. IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of “Sri Ranga Sri”- Tell your friends to join by sending an email to Srirangasri- IF NOT: Tell us, as to how we may improve. Ever at your service Dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy, Editor & Publisher, “Sri Ranga Sri” ====================================================== 1. ATHIMAANUSHA STHAVAM OF SRI KOORATHAAZHWAN Part 2 (Slokas 6 to 10) (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) --------------------- SLOKAM 6: QUALITIES GALORE! Jnaanam bhalam vipulam EEsaana veerya sakti tEjaamsi cha triyugabhooyam upaagataani / poorNaani shad cha parigrihyya bhavamschaturdhaa bhatam janam tvam anujagraahithaa anuraagaat // “Oh! Lord! You possess the three twin qualities of super intelligence and super powers whether it be in supporting or controlling or directing everything and every being, and exhibit them in your Vyuha avataras (emanations) of ParavaasudEva, SamkarshaNa, Pradhyumna and Aniruddha out of your concern for our welfare” COMMENTS: Sri Koorathaazhwaan lists the 6 prime qualities of the Lord with particular reference to Vyuha Avataras. They are as follows: 1. JNAANAM: The power of the Lord’s knowledge is comprehensive. Vedas declare “Sarva Darsee svaadheenOnaadi sarvEswaraH sarva drik yaha sarvagjna: sarvabid” Meaning: The Lord can directly PERCEIVE everything always and in all ways without let or hindrance. Acharya also confirms this: “yugapadakhilam pratyakshENa svata: satatam bidan” 2. BALAM: The power of the Lord to SUSTAIN all without any weariness. Vedas celebrate this quality thus: “yEsha sEturvidharaNa: yatra viswam bhavayEkaneeDam that savitu varENyam dhruvam achalam amrutam vishNu samjnam sarva aadhaaram dhaama”. 3. AISWARYAM: The power of the Lord to CONTROL everything without any obstruction. The Vedas pay rich tributes to this quality thus: “svaasheenaanOnaadi sarvEswarah, yad bhootam yacha bhavyam uta amrutatvasya eesaanah” 4. VEERYAM: The power of the Lord to be FIRM AND STEADFAST without any change at any time. Sruti Vaakhyas and Rishi vaakhyas lavish praise on this quality thus: “Satyam cha anrutam cha satyam abhavat” and ”vikaara virahO veeryam prakritvEpi mE sadaa” 5. SAKTI: The power of the Lord to DIRECT the actions of all. Samhita Vaakhya makes ample references to this quality: “paraasya saktirvidhEaiva srooyatE svaabhaavikee” This also includes the quality of the lord to accomplish by virtue of his “AghaTita ghaTanaa saamartyam”, what is impossible for others. 6. TEJAS: The power of the Lord to perform anything and everything independently without the help or support of any other agency. “tEjas tu anyaan apEkshataa”. The famous MuNdakOpanishad declares:”Neither the Sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, not to speak of fire, shines on their own. They shine basking in the brilliance of the Lord” na tatra sooryO bhaati, na Chandra taarakam, na imaa vidhyutO bhaanti kutOyam agni: tamEva bhaantam anubhaati sarvam tasya bhaasaa sarvam idam vibhaati” The scriptures do swear that the qualities of the Lord are countless and infinite. Did not Parasara say? “ananta kalyaaNa guNamrutOdadhi”? Do not the Upanishads declare? “vividaiva srooyatE svaabheeviki jnaana bhalakriyaa cha” How come, Koorathaazhwaan lists only these six qualities? The answer is that these are the prime qualities and all the others branch of from these six. Swami Desikan in his TattvaTeeka quotes “SaaDguNya vivEkam” and says that all other qualities form part of one or more of these six qualities. Tava ananta guNasyaapi shaDEva prathamE guNaa: / Yastvayaiva jagat kukshou anyEyantar nivEsitaa: // • Just like the “quality of mercy” (Daya) includes compassion (kashamaa) and motherly affection (vaatsalyam), these six qualities contain all the others. • What is the reason for listing these six qualities in the order in which they have been so listed? Swami Desika answers: • When a person is asleep and unaware of what happens around him, he is not conscious of his possessions; • Even when he is aware, he does not support them consciously. • Even if he tries to support, he gets tired rather too soon- all because he acts directed by his own karma. The Lord is just the antithetical to all these infirmities. He is “akhila hEya pratyaneekan” – totally bereft of all such defects. • Some hold that since there is no difference between Para VaasudEva and Vyuha VaasudEva, in exhibiting all these six qualities, only three Vyuha moorthis should be taken into consideration, each exhibiting a different pair of qualities thus: SamkarshaNa: Jnaanam and Bhalam; Pradhyumnan: Aiswaryam and Veeryam; and Aniruddhan: Sakti and tEjas. • PuraaNas and Paancharaatra attribute different colors for the different Vyuha moortis. • They also make reference as to how Vyuhaantaras (sub emanations) like Kesava, NaraayaNa, Maadva, GOvinda, VishnavE, Madhusoodana, Trivikrama, Vaamana, Sreedhara, HrishikEsa, Padmanaabha and DaamOdara arose from these Vyuhas to preside over the 12 months of the year. SLOKAM 7: “FORM AND SUBSTANCE” Ekaanta mangaLa guNaaspadam astahEyam Nityam padam tava yatas tata eva dEva! / aamnaayatE tad iha viswa viroopa roopam tEnaiva nanu idam asabdamaroopam aahuh // “Your divine body possesses exclusive auspicious qualities and totally devoid of foibles and thus stands unique and distinct from those of all others. Unable to fully comprehend, let alone describe such a “Divyaatma sareeram”, those well versed in the Vedas declare you to be above and beyond all description. Because of their inability to comprehend, some even go to the extent of saying that you do not have a sareeram at all. In other words, they acknowledge their helplessness in describing you” COMMENTS: • The word “padam” used here refers to Divaaytma Svaroopam, Divya MangaLa vigraham, and Sri VaikunTam says Bhaashyakaarar in Vedaarta Sangraham and also in Ubhayalinga adhikaraNam of Sri Bhaashyam. • This gives the lie direct to the view of Niraaakaara, niravayava, NirguNa Brahmam. They base their conclusion on Sounaka’s statement: na tE roopam na cha aakaarO na aayudhaaani chaaspadam/ Tathaapi purushaakaarO bhaktaanaam tvam prakaasasE // • That Emperumaan has a “Subha aasraya TirumEni” (auspicious and accessible form), that he has innumerable groups and groups of auspicious qualities (asankhyEya kalyaaNa guNa gaNas) and that he is totally bereft of all defects (akhila hEya pratyanika) are all brought out in this Sloka, • When Vedas described the Lord as “asabdam asparsam aroopam avyayam” and “yath tath adrEsyam agraahyam”, they really meant to throw light on the fact that he is beyond our comprehension and cognition, not that he is devoid of form and qualities. • The Vedas make it clear that these countless auspicious qualities exclusively belong to Bhagavaan thus: “Aanandam brahmaNO vidwaan, so asnutE sarvaan kaamaan saha brahmaNaa vipaschitaa, tasmin yadanta: tad anvEshTavyam” • Another Veda vaakhyam states: “sa uttama: purusha: divyO EkO naaraayaNa: purusha EvE idam sarvam, na tE vishNO: jaayamaanO na jaatO dEva! Mahimna: paramantam aapa yatram dEvaanaam adhi dEva aastE” • When Vedas so emphatically attest to the Svaroopam and Svabhaavam of Emperumaan in such glowing and irrefutable terms, it is strange that some misguided people hold that the Lord has no form, no qualities etc. • Let alone Roopam and guNam. If the Lord is such an omnipotent why should he wield so many weapons? Swami Desika answers: Though the weapons are of no use for him, he wields them as he wears ornaments and for the sake of reassuring his Bhaktas that he is ever ready to rush to their succor, if need be, by using these weapons. In Abheeti Sthavam, Swami Desika says that in a sense, his wielding weapons is for self protection. How? Did he not say that Jnaani is his own very atma? Protecting the Bhaktas is like protecting his own atma. Viewed in this light, the weapons are also for his own protection. Apaartha iti nischita: praharaNaadi yOgas tava Svayam vahasi nirbhayastadapi ranga prithvidhara / svarakshaNam iva abhavat praNata rakshaNam taavakam yadaatha paramaarthavit niyatam antaraatmEti tE // SLOKAM 8: “HIDE AND SEEK” Sabdaadi hEyam iha gOchara indriyaaNaam Tat pratyaneeka Vibhava: tvam ateendriyOsi / tEnaiva tE na bata darsanam asti kinchid vaachO dhiyas cha tata Eva na gOcharOsi // “Oh! Lord! In this reprehensible mundane world, beings are subject to the vagaries of the five senses. On the other hand, you are just the opposite of this and stand apart and above the influence of the senses. That is why, no one is able to comprehend your Svaroopam and Svabhaavam and stand beyond the cognition of the mind too” COMMENTS: • Continuing the theme, Azhwaan explains why the Lord is beyond our comprehension (avaang manasa gOcharan) or is visible to our mortal eyes. • Based on Upanishad statement “na maamsa chakshurabhi veekhasatE tvam”, He says that it is because we are deeply immersed in sense objects that we are not able to look beyond. • Paraanchikhaani vyatruNat svayambhoo: tasmaat paraang “pasyati, na antar aatman” says the Upanishad. • Did not Nammazhwar say? “aavi thigaikka aivar kumaikkum sitrinbam” and “ennai pOra vaithaai puramE” • Vedas started on a journey of describing the blissful nature (aanandam) of the Lord but returned crest fallen unable to describe it fully. “yathO vaachaa nivartantE apraapya manasaa saha”. • When the yOgis themselves are not capable of viewing the full beauty of the Lord’s divya svaroopam, how can we, the totally uninitiated ordinary mortals gain any insight into this? • Lord Krishna himself clarified this in Bhagavad Gita thus: “mooDOyam na abhijaanaati lOkO maam ajam avyayam” • When we cannot comprehend his very Divyaatma svaroopam (divine form), how can we hope to comprehend his Divyaatma svabhaavam (Divine nature)? Azhwaan asks. SLOKAM 9: “HOOKED AT LAST!” Evam sthitE tvad upasamsrayaNa apyupaayO maanEna kEnachidalapsyata na upalabdum nO chEd amartya manujaadishu yOnishu tvam ichchaa vihaara vidhinaa amavaatarishya: // Being thus beyond the cognition of beings in this world, if you had not taken birth, albeit sportingly, among the celestials, humans, animals, fauna and flora purely out of your compassion , what other means would be there for the poor souls to reach you? COMMENTS: • After referring to the Para and Vyuha Avataras, Azhwaan proceeds to describe the exploits of the Lord in his various Vibhava Avataras that form the ‘raison d’etre’ for this Sthavam. • Swami Desika in his Taatparya Chandrika avers that Vibhava avataara includes Para and Vyuha Avataras also because several Divyadesams exhibit the moorthis relating to them. • For example, Srirangam, TirumaalirumsOlai, Naachiyaarkoil represent para and Vyuham; Sreekoormam, AhObilam, Simhaachalam, AyOdhya, TiruallikkENi, TirukkOvalur, etc represent Vibhava Avataaras; Tirumalai, TirukkuDantai, DevapperumaaL koil etc represent Svayam vyakta Divyadesams. • Azhwaan asks that if the Lord had not come down to earth as described above, how the poor souls on earth can get a chance for liberation. • The greatness of Divya dEsams is that if one were to visit and pray at any one of them, even by sheer chance(not intentionally) and for just a few moments, one would be rid of evil influences (vaasanas), evil thoughts, evil means, evil results, atheism etc says Poushkara Samhita. “Samdarsanaat akasmaat cha pumsaam sammooDa chEtasaam/ Kuvaasanaa kubuddhis cha kunischaya:/ kuhEtus cha bhaavas cha naastikatvam layam vrajEt” • Bhagavad Ramanuja in his Gita Bhaashyam (4-11) states: dEva manushyaadi roopENa avateerya mat samaasrayaNa apEkshaNaam paritraaNam karOmi. • Whatever forms he takes in his Avataras, his body is taken out of his resolution (sankalpam) as a sport, NOT like our bodies that we acquire as a result of our karma. • The birth less one takes birth as he pleases. “ajaayamaanO bahudaa jaayatE” says Sruti • Lord KrishNa in Bhagavad Gita (9.11) says: avajaanati maam mooDaah maanushee tanum aasritam/ Param bhaavam ajaanantO mama bhootamahEswaram// • Azhwar wonders- “enninra yOniyumaai pirantaai imaiyOr talaivaa” • Why should the Lord take these Avataras? He does them as a sport. This is brought out by the words: “ichchaa vihaara vidhinaa”. • The Avataaras are identified as follows: - DEVA AVATAARAS: Vaamana, Nara, NaaraayaNa - MANUSHYA AVTAARAS: Rama, KrishNa etc - TIRYAK AVATAARAS: Hamsa, matsya, Koorma, Varaaha, Nrisimha, Sri Hayagriva etc - STHAAVARA AVATAARAS: AkshayavaTa, Aswatha NaaraayaNa, NaimisaaraNya etc SLOKAM 10: “WHY ARE YOU HERE?” Seelah ka Esha tava hanta! Dayaika sindhO! kshudrE pritak janapadE jagad aNDa madhyE / kshOdeeyasOpi hi janasya kritE kritee tvam atra avateerya nanu lOchana gOcharObhoo: // “Oh! Ocean of Mercy! You are the only one who can secure whatever you desire in this wide world (jagad aNDa madhyE) If you should appear in the midst of such lowly souls and for their sake and become available to their sight, it speaks volumes about your Souseelyam (excellence of disposition)” COMMENTS: • Azhwaan here lets out the secret of Lord’s appearance in this world (avataara rahasyam) He asks the Lord: “How come! You chose to be born among beings that like flies are glued to sense objects in this Prakriti MaNDalam? (uNDiyE uDaiyE ugantu ODiDum) • Rig Veda has in no uncertain terms stated that none has been, is and will be born who can claim to know your glory truly and fully as it is. “Na tE vishNO:! jaayamaanO na jaatO dEva! Mahimna: paramantamaapa”(Rig Veda 7-99-2) • If you are born here, there can be no reason other than salvaging the lost souls (inda maNNUlagil Manisar uyya) • Srutaprakaasika also asserts this fact saying “seelam hi naama mahatO mandai: saha neerandrENa samslEsha svanhaavaatvam” • That the Lord who is beyond the grasp of great sages like Sanaka and others (vidhi Siva sanakaadhyai: dyaatum atyanta dooram) has made himself available for all to see (sakala manuja nayana vishayataam gata:) shows his easy accessibility and compassionate disposition. -------------------------------- To Continue ====================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ====================================================== 2. VILAKSHANA MOKSHAADHIKAARI NIRNAYAM Part 5 (ANBIL RAMASWAMY) -------------------------------- What does one blessed with “Jaayamaana KaTaaksham” do? Does he/she ascend to Paramapadam automatically, just because of this? Are there any other conditions to be satisfied before earning eligibility to attain mOksham? The answer is that such a one goes in search of an Acharya who is “qualified to be called a Sadacharya”? What is the difference between an “Acharya” and a “Sadacharya”? Anyone can claim to be an Acharya with just a smattering of our scriptures. This is the kind of Acharyas we find strutting about in plain clothes or often with ochre robes gathering a coterie of chelas around them inculcating in them their pet cult theories and practices, offering false hopes of solving their problems as if by magic. This is the kind of self-styled Acharyas who roam the earth bringing notoriety that affects the genuine ones. The question arises as to who is the genuine one and how to tell one from the other? In other words, who, then can be identified as a “Sadaacharya”? Just as we have to diagnose the genuineness and competence of a doctor before letting the doctor to diagnose our ailment, let alone administering appropriate cures. Otherwise, we will be landing in a situation where you will let the doctor’s expertise employed in diagnosing your purse instead of your ailment! Similarly, it is necessary for the seeker to diagnose whether one is really qualified to be a genuine Acharya who can be trusted to impart instructions without ulterior motives. Swami Desika has come to our rescue and answers both in his “Nyaasa Vimsati” and “Acharya kritya Adhikaaram” of his magnum opus “Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram” Actually, he provides us a virtual questionnaire to identify whether an Acharya is really worthy to be deemed an Acharya. Nyasa Vimsati: Swami Desika lists the following indicators for a prospective Sishya to determine if the Acharya is a “Qualified” one. They are as follows: The true Acharya should be: Siddham satsampradaayE sthiradhiyam anagham srOtriyam brahma nishTam Satvastham satya vaacham samaya niyatayaa saadhu vrithyaa samEtam / Damba asooyaadi muktam jitavishayigaNam dheergha bandhum dayaaLum skhaalityE saasitaaram svaparahitaparam dEsiokam bhooshNur eepsEt / (Nyasa Vimsati Slokam 1) 1. Siddham satsampradaayE: One who has descended from a hoary and glorious parampara (tradition) and firmly attaches himself to and takes his stand on the worthy and proper tradition (satsampradaya). This would automatically exclude self proclaimed gurus who start new cults based on their own pet ideas and theories repugnant to the established norms and disciplines. 2. sthiradhiyam: One who is possessed of steady and unflinching intellect and unwavering mind firmly rooted in the tradition of the ancient Acharyas of Satsampradaya. 3. anagham: One who is without any blemish in thought, word and deed. In other words, one who is totally bereft of emotional turbulence like extremes of joy or grief. 4. srOtriyam: One who has learned (mastered) the Vedas and Vedantas fully in the strict traditional methods like, for example, “paTasaala” or at the feet of preceptors known for their rectitude. 5. brahma nishTam: One whose heart is steadfast in the Lord, being deeply attached to Him and truly and totally detached from worldly temptations. In other words, one who is a “Brahma nishTa” who constantly meditates on the Lord, constantly in whatever he does being unmindful of any craving for worldly indulgences. 6. Satvastham: One who is devoid of rajO and tamO guNas and stably stationed in Sattva guNa. In other words, one who always thinks of the spiritual welfare of others. 7. satya vaacham: One who is unswerving from truth blended with soft and sweet persuasion. 8. samaya niyatayaa saadhu vrithyaa samEtam: One who possesses unimpeachable conduct in the matter of Achaara and AnushTaana, true to his own conscience and not as a matter of exhibitionism. 9. Damba asooyaadi muktam: One who is free from humbug, jealousy, vanity, ego, nitpicking and the like. Also, not engaging in activities with a façade of public welfare but in reality meant to boost his own popularity. 10. jitavishayigaNam: One who has perfect control of his senses that go after worldly pleasures. In other words, avoiding in private words and actions that one would be ashamed to indulge in public. 11. dheergha bandhum: One who deems his duty to think of the welfare, not merely his near and dear ones but also of the whole of humanity, not merely of the rich and influential but also of the poor and forlorn, not only of the intellectual bit also of the uninitiated and uneducated. In other words, one should be impartial without likes or dislikes and discriminations based on wealth, education, age sex etc. 12. dayaaLum: Considering the misfortunes of others as his own and advising proper remedial measures to relieve the trauma without making any distinctions between friends and foes. 13. skhaalityE saasitaaram: One who is unsparing and unhesitating in disciplining any lapses in conduct (aachaaram and anushTaanams) in the disciples but do it in a pleasing and persuasive manner ( not being pedantic or stentorian) so that the disciple would be motivated to correct himself and return to the mainstream of proper conduct. 14. svaparahitaparam: One who is always interested in the good of others rather than in his own good. Only one whose conduct is in consonance with the above should be taken as a “Sadacharya”. It would require lot of patience and effort on the part of the would-be- Sishya to convince himself by observation or referral to determine whether the person is fit to be accepted as a “sadacharya” We will see in the next posting what further Swami Desika says in Nyasa Vimsati and in his Rahasya Traya Saaram, on this issue before discussing the qualifications of a deserving Sishya and then proceed to what Sri Erumbiappa has to say on these. ------------- To Continue ====================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ====================================================== 3. “TRIMURTI” - IN NAMMAZHWAR’S TIRUVOIMOZHI- PART 10 (SRI N. KRISHNAMACHARIAR SWAMI OF CHICAGO) --\ ---------------- tri-mUrti-s in tiruvAimozhi – Part 10 2.5.2: (15) tiru uDambu vAn SuDar; Sen tAmarai kaN kai kamalam tiru iDamE mArvam; ayan iDamE koppUzh oruvu iDamum endai perumARku aranE O! oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennuL kalandAnukkE. Several important tattva-s are emphasized in this pASuram: i) Unlike the claim made by some that the Supreme Brahman is without form or shape, and is only Pure Bliss, bhagavAn indeed is One who has beautiful tiru mEni or Divine Form. ii) brahmA and rudra take shelter in His Divine Form for their sustenance; iii) BhagavAn likes His devotees so much that He, who has brahmA and rudra resorting to Him for sustenance, goes to His devotees and mixes with them freely as if He depends on them for His own sustenance. AzhvAr describes the beautiful form of bhagavAn at the start: tiru uDambu vAn SuDar – His Divine Body is shining resplendently with incomparable effulgence. This effulgence becomes even more intense as He embraces nammAzhvAr, His devotee. This is the best blessing that He confers on those who love Him selflessly. We have Lord rAma’s own words confirming this. Lord rAma is so moved by hanumAn’s devotion and service to Him, that He declares that the best blessing that He can give to His devotee is His whole-hearted embrace: esha sarvasvabhUtastu parishva’ngo mahAtmanaH | mayA kAlam imam prApya dattas-tasya hanUmataH || (yuddha. 1.13 - kaN Sem tAmarai – His eyes are beautiful reddish color like the freshly blossoming lotus. - kai kamalam – His hands that embrace nammAzhvAr are beautifully delicate and cool like lotus flowers. - tiru iDamE mArvam – mahA Lakshmi resides on His vaksha sthalam or chest. She is the One Who is responsible for bhagavAn blessing His devotee by His divine embrace with intense affection. - ayan iDamE koppUzh – brahmA, who is the creator of the fourteen worlds, originated from, resides in, and is sustained through, His navel. - endai perumARku oruvu iDam aranE – Whatever is left behind in the Divine Body of this Supreme emperumAn, is then given to aran or rudra. - oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennuL kalandAnukku – This emperumAn, who has thus given shelter to the likes of brahmA and rudra on His Divine Body, loves me so much, that He embraces me with His whole tirumEni. Such is His attachment to His devotee. - O! – What a wonder! How great is His sauSIlyam, that He associates with such a lowly being as myself, and enjoys this mingling with me to such an extent that His Whole Divine form shines even more beautifully than before, as a result of His embracing me. BhagavAn’ tiru uDambu, which is ‘vAn SuDar’ to start with, becomes even more of a ‘vAn SuDar’ by this mingling with His devotee. vAn SuDar – The use of the word “vAn” – ‘sky’, as an adjective for His tejas, is to signify the indescribable and infinite nature of this effulgence. The anubhavam of this pASuram is even more enhanced if we interpret the words ‘ayan iDamE koppUzh’ as ‘ayan iDam koppUzhE’ – BrahmA has the navel alone as His place of residence in BhagavAn’s tirumEni, whereas AzhvAr has been blessed with a place on bhagavAn’s whole tirumEni (oruvu iDam onRu inRi ennul kalandAn). We saw in tiruvAimozhi 1.9 that bhagavAn had occupied every indriya of nammAzhvAr, such that all that AzhvAr was seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, touching etc., was only emperumAn, and nothing else. Thus, bhagavAn had occupied every part of nammAzhvAr’s body and mind without any space left to occupy. Now, bhagavAn is having the same experience of nammAzhvAr - AzhvAr is occupying every part of emperumAn’s Divine Body without exception; in other words, bhagavAn’s love of His devotee is such that He is fully engrossed in blessing His devotee with such dedication.. svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the phrase ‘sughaTita dayitam’ in his tAtparya ratnAvaLi. ‘sughaTitam’ means ‘properly fitting’, ‘matching nicely’. dayitA refers to One who is beloved, and in the context of bhagavAn this refers to pirATTi (note ‘SrI vE’nkaTeSa dayite tava suprabhAtam’, where the reference is to pirATTi). In the current pASuram, there is a reference to pirATTi being nicely accommodated in bhagavAn’s vaksha sthalam, and brahmA and rudra in other parts of His tirumEni. But even more importantly, nammAzhvAr is enjoying how bhagavAn has blessed him with His divine embrace thoroughly with the whole of His tirumEni. Thus, in the context of this pASuram, it is appropriate to interpret the term ‘dayitA’ as a reference to His dear devotee, nammAzhvAr. The emphasis of this pASuram is the blessing that bhagavAn has conferred on AzhvAr through His Ali’nganam, which He Himself declares is the greatest blessing He can confer on a devotee. --------- 2.7.12: (16) dAmOdaranait tani mudalvanai j~nAlam uNDavanai AmO taram aRiya oruvarkku? enRE tozhumavargaL dAmOdaran uruvAgiya SivaRkum tiSai mugarkkum AmO taram aRiya, emmAnai en Azhi vaNNanaiyE? In this pASuram, nammAzhvar first describes how rudra and brahmA wonder aloud at the greatness of emperumAn that is beyond description, and feel that He cannot be understood by most of us (implying that they alone can understand and realize His greatness). Then AzhvAr asks: Do Siva and brahmA really understand the greatness of emperumAn? He is beyond their understanding as well, even though they do not realize that. dAmOdaran uruvAgiya Sivarkkum tiSai mugarkkum – The various Siva-s and brahmA-s (there is a Siva and a brahmA for each of the countless number of worlds that bhagavAn has created; hence the plural – pratyaNDam Siva bhedena Siva-bahutvAt bhauvacanam) are all part of the body of dAmOdaran, just as all the other movable and immovable things in all the Universes are. AmO taram aRiya oruvarkku? enRE tozhumavargaL – They worship dAmodara declaring that it will be impossible for anyone (except them) to understand the true nature of dAmOdara. dAmOdaranai – Rudra and brahmA worship bhagavAn Who has dAmOdaran as one of His Divine names. This name for bhagavAn denotes that He is One who had placed Himself at the disposal of one of His devotees, yaSOdA, specifically to be tied up by her affection to a mortar as she wished, with a piece of rope. BhagavAn’s subservience to His devotees is brought by the choice of this nAma by AzhvAr – His ASrita paratantrattvam. tani mudalvanai – He Who is the One and Only Supreme Deity. He is the One from whom all else was created, without any other external means or help (see pASuram 1.5.4 - tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi…, and chAndogya upa. 6.2.1 – sadeva somya idamagra AsIt; ekameva advitIyam – “All this universe of diverse names and forms was prior to creation only one sat, the ever existent Reality, ParamAtman and Non-second”). The fact that bhagavAn is the Sole cause of all the Universes is brought out by AzhvAr’s choice of the words ‘tani mudalvan’ to describe emperumAn – His being the sarva-jagad-eka-kAraNan. j~nAlam uNDavanai – He is also the One Who swallowed all the Universes at the time of pralaya. As has been noted before, this is done by bhagavAn to protect all the jIva-s (kAkkum iyalvinan – pASuram 2.2.9). AzhvAr’s choice of these words express the fact that bhagavAn is the Protector of all the Universes – sarva jagad-rakshakan. emmAnai – He is my Master and Lord en Azhi vaNNanai – My own Lord Who has the hue of the blue ocean. AmO taram aRiya? - Can these various Siva-s and brahmA-s really understand the true nature of my Supreme Lord? Can they ever be able to comprehend and enjoy Him the way He has allowed Himself to be enjoyed by me? BhagavAn is One Whose greatness is incomprehensible – One with aparicchedya mahattvam. His true nature is that He becomes totally subservient to His devotee, protection is His primary concern in all that He does, His sauSIlyam and saulabhyam dominate over His parattvam when it comes to His devotees, He is full of infinite kalyANa guNa-s, etc. Among the tattva-s brought out by nammAzhvAr in this pASuram are: I) bhagavAn makes Himself totally sub-servient to His devotee; II) He is the Sole cause of all the Universes; III) He is the Protector of everything in all the Universes; IV) brahmA and rudra are part of His body; V) BhagavAn’s mahattvam is beyond comprehension even by the likes of brahmA and rudra. svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this pASuram through the words ‘bandha moktA’ to describe the guNa of bhagavAn reflected in this pASuram. The meaning is “One Who relieves us from our bondage”. This has to do with the nAma dAmodaran that AzhvAr uses as the first word of this pASuram. ‘dAmOdaran’ means “One Who has the waist that was tied up using the rope” – kaNNi nuN Sirut tAmbinAl kaTTuNNap paNNiya peru mAyan. Our AcArya-s have taught us that meditating on bhagavAn’s guNa-s, such as the saulabhyam and suaSIlaym that He reveals to us by taking incarnations amongst us and by allowing Himself to be tied by the love and devotion of His devotees, will in turn relieve us from our bondages of samsAra. This pASuram is the last of twelve pASuram-s in this tiruvAimozhi that describe the dvAdaSa nAma-s (twelve nAma-s, starting with keSava, nArAyaNa, etc.), followed by the 13th pASuram that is the ‘phala Sruti’. -------------- To Continue ====================================================== xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ====================================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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